


Life As a Demonic Parent

by Iamacarrot



Category: Hazbin Hotel (Web Series)
Genre: Arackniss is a good brother, Being A Godmother Is Difficult, But I Work On Them Consistently, But Some Is On Screen, Charlie Is Having A Bit Of Trouble, Cherri Is As Reckless As Always, Domestic Fluff, F/F, Fan Characters, Fluff and Humor, Heavy Angst, Henroin Tries To Be A Good Dad For Once, I Have Way Too Many Multi-Chapter Fics, It Gets Super Fucking Dark, M/M, Molly Is A Supportive Sis, Most Of It Off Screen, Sex Happens As Well, There Are Going To Be So Many Children, There Ya Happy Now?, This Is Set In The Middle Of Two Of My Multi-Chapter Fics, Vaggie Tries To Neuter Al In One Chapter, Valentino Being a Jerk (Hazbin Hotel), some more than others
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-20
Updated: 2020-10-03
Packaged: 2021-03-08 01:53:44
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 12
Words: 15,618
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26567623
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Iamacarrot/pseuds/Iamacarrot
Summary: Being a parent comes with plenty of challenges. Being a demon comes with even more challenges. Mix it together and what do you get?Bippity-Boppity Boy Howdy.
Relationships: Alastor/Angel Dust (Hazbin Hotel), Charlie Magne/Vaggie
Comments: 34
Kudos: 89





	1. Morning Routine

**Author's Note:**

> This is all set between the events of my two fics "It's a Spider Thing" and "Help Us All, Angel Made a Group Chat"
> 
> More specifically, some time after Everest is born and just after the twins are announced.

"Charlie, if you keep trying to feed my baby pancakes, I will personally come over there and pour syrup on your head."

Group laughter came from the entire Hazbin family as they watched Charlie slowly continue to slide a small piece of fluffy pancake towards Everest. Curious babbling was accompanied by Everest reaching his top set of arms towards the food, and the toothless smile on his face never left, even as Angel pushed the plate back towards Charlie. Of course, being the daughter of Lucifer, the well-known trickster of Hell, Charlie slid the plate back. This "war" continued on for quite some time, offering a bit of entertainment for the rest of the group.

"Al! A little help, please?" Angel huffed, turning to glare at his husband and gasping in mock betrayal as he was met with the sight of Alastor feeding Everest a small plate of pancakes. Cheeky smiling only served to fuel Angel's frustration, and he stopped his little battle with Charlie to cross both sets of arms and sneer at his husband. Alastor only shrugged in response, giving Everest another forkful of pancakes. "I honestly can't believe you."

"Why not? He's _Alastor_. You act like you expect him to be a well-behaved member of society." Husk chuckled, pointing a piece of sausage at Angel. "I thought you knew who you were married to."

"I _do_ , but it still makes no sense that he feels as if he needs to act like a child! You're a parent now, sweetheart! Act like it!"

"No." Alastor offered Everest another slice of pancake. Angel groaned loudly, dragging a hand down his face and grumbling quietly. "I don't see why you're so upset. We do this every morning."

"Exactly! And every morning I hope that you'll act like a man with sense."

"What's that?" Alastor tilted his head to the side, his smile widening in response to the boisterous laughter he received. "Come now, darling! Please do explain!"

"Al, I thought you knew that a person can't teach what they don't know." Vaggie chimed. Everyone but Angel cheered and started laughing at the comment, leading the spider demon to stand up and leave.

"Angel! Don't leave! I'm sorry!" Alastor shouted, laughing between his words. In one swift movement, Alastor stood and draped himself around Angel, sending both men to the floor. "You know I love you so!"

"Alastor! Let go of me! I just washed my fur!" Angel whined, struggling uselessly against his husband's tight hold. In the background, Everest squealed and clapped at his parents, absolutely elated with the happiness they were bringing.

"Mayhaps I can help, then!" Before Angel could ask what Alastor meant, the deer demon licked Angel's cheek, making sure to get as much slobber on the fur as possible. Angel screamed in disgust, moving around and gripping Al's tongue between his teeth. All sound stopped with that action, and everyone at the table- save for Everest -sat in silence as they anticipated every possible scenario that could possibly happen.

Much to their dismay, the scenario that played out ended up being one that led to the couple undressing as fast as possible. Groans of disgust and annoyance came from everyone else as they moved to leave, Charlie picking up Everest and covering his eyes as she carried him all the way out of the kitchen. Once in the lobby, Charlie set Everest on the couch and pulled out her phone, setting up a video that would keep Everest's attention long enough to allow her to go and scream at his parents.

"ARE YOU TWO SERIOUS?! ANGEL IS _PREGNANT! **AGAIN!**_ WHAT MAKES YOU THINK THIS IS A GOOD IDEA?!" For a brief moment, Charlie's demonic form started to shine through, but she quickly got herself under control. That control didn't last long, however, nor did the antics of her married friends. "Sometimes you two can be insufferable."

"And to think that it's so early in the morning, too." Husk remarked, ignoring Charlie's frustrated hiss. "I can only imagine how much worse they'll get after Litter #10."


	2. Powers

"Everest? Everest, where are you? Oh, my sweet darling! Where did you go?"

Confused babbling came from the baby as he watched his mother look around the lobby, the spider demon casting a glance everywhere but the couch, where the small hybrid sat. As Angel looked around, his voice started to carry more concern, driving Everest to feel a sense of despair.

"Mama! Here! Mama!" Everest cried, reaching out and trying to gain Angel's attention. "Here! Here!"

Angel Dust gasped, looking around frantically. "Where are you, Everest? I can hear you, but I can't see you! Oh, where is my baby?!"

Tears started to fall down Everest's cheeks, flowing freely and quickly. Despite this, Angel continued to pretend he couldn't see Everest, even going as far as beginning to take a few steps away. As soon as Angel left Everest's line of sight, a loud screech came from the baby, and a barrage of tentacles burst through the floor. With every second that passed, the tentacles thrashed around as if they were on fire, and a group of screeching shadows soon joined them.

"ANGEL! WHAT THE FUCK DID YOU DO?!" Vaggie screamed, covering her ears as she raced forward and attempted to pick Everest up. The attempt was blocked, however, by a rouge shadow, who hissed at Vaggie before joining its counterparts in destroying everything in sight. It didn't take long for Angel to wriggle his way through the chaos, throwing himself onto the couch and hugging Everest close.

As soon as Everest was in his mommy's arms, all of the chaos stopped, and happy giggles replaced the loud crying. The tentacles moved towards Angel, nuzzling up against him and being as gentle as possible. The shadows that accompanied them were just as gentle, each of them smiling with every bit of happiness they could convey. Angel did nothing to stop the actions, but couldn't keep himself from looking up, a feeling of dread settling in his stomach as he was met with the faces of two angry demonesses. Charlie and Vaggie narrowed their eyes at Angel, leading him to pull Everest as close as possible, hiding the baby from view and encouraging Everest to begin nursing so that he was distracted from the heated conversation that was soon to follow.

"Okay, before you start yelling at me, I can explain everything." Angel assured, keeping his body wrapped around Everest as much as possible. "I was playing a game with him, pretending not to see him and looking around the lobby. I guess he started freaking out because he thought I really couldn't see him! I _swear_ that I wouldn't have done this if I had known that's how he would react!"

"Angel..." Charlie sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose before placing an arm out in front of Vaggie. Knowing that this meant the situation could be handled without her, Vaggie nodded, making sure to give a stern look to Angel before leaving. "Look, I get that you were just trying to have fun, but Everest is _just a baby_. He doesn't understand games like Hide-and-Seek the way we do."

"Yeah, I get that now." Angel muttered, lightly pushing one of Everest's shadows to the side. "But... at least no one got hurt, right...?"

"While that may be true, there was a chance that someone _could have_ gotten hurt, and you know as well as I do that this can't go unpunished."

"Charlie, he's only a baby-"

" _I don't-!_ Mean for Everest." Charlie took a deep breath to keep herself from reverting into her natural form. "It was _your idea_ to do this, so your punishment will be to fix all of the damage that Everest caused."

At the mention of his name, Everest whined, looking between his mommy and his godmother Charlie before sneezing. In less than a second, every bit of damage was gone, along with the tentacles and nearly every one of Everest's shadows. A proud smile was sent Angel's way, earning Everest the same look in return. That look was erased all too soon, sadly, as Alastor slammed the front doors open, looking absolutely drained.

"Who... did... this?!" Alastor yelled, pointing at his sweat drenched body. "I haven't felt this tired in _decades_ , and when I find out who did this to me, I-"

"It was Everest." Charlie announced roughly, doing her best to fight off the oncoming headache she was starting to get. "Angel accidentally upset him and he lost control, wrecked everything in the lobby, then fixed it the moment I got upset with Angel."

"Oh goodness gracious pickles..." Alastor groaned, his ears falling flat as he trudged up to his mate and fawn. "Is this true?"

"What reason would Charles have to lie?" Angel responded solemnly, averting eye contact from everyone in the lobby. Both Charlie and Alastor sighed at the sight, sitting on both sides of Angel and wrapping him in a hug.

"I understand that it was an accident, but you really scared us, Angel. Everest isn't just part of you; he's half Eldritch, and goodness knows if that's all his powers are limited to. He could be capable of sneezing someone out of existence for all we know!" Charlie's voice carried no malice, but it was stern and full of concern. "I'm not telling you that you're a bad parent, nor am I telling you that I don't want you around Everest during this stage. I just need you to realize that, until Everest gets his powers under control, you need to be more careful with how you play with him, alright?"

"Trust me, I'm not doing anything like that _ever again_." Angel assured, accepting the squeeze Charlie gave him before she stood and left the small family alone. Without a word, Angel leaned back against the couch, being mindful of Alastor's presence and allowing the buck to curl up close. "Wow, you are _really sweaty_."

"Yes, I am aware of that." Alastor huffed, moving so that he was able to pet Everest gently. "I guess now's a good enough time than any to teach him about his powers."

"What about guns, hmm? Think he's ready to learn how to be a part of the mafia?"

"Absolutely not."

"It was worth a shot."


	3. Why Now?!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: Birth. Lots more of it than with Everest; and also a bit more descriptive, so... yea.
> 
> Also: The baby names were offered by the marvelous Not_the_best_Fan! I hope you don't mind that I got inspired to use street names instead of puns. The idea appeared and wouldn't leave.
> 
> Also, Also: For those who have name ideas in mind as well, let's not forget that our lovely couple refuses to use protection every time they decide to mess around.

"Cherri, can I tell you a secret?"

"Sure babe! What's up?"

"I'm fat."

Silence was given in response to Angel's statement, leaving the two demons with no sound but that of Fat Nuggets' snuffling as he nuzzled in between Cherri and Angel. This silence continued on for an entire five minutes, and Angel started to genuinely fear that he would be laughed at. He was. But not for the reason he expected.

"Angie, you're _pregnant_. With _twins!_ Being fat is like, part of the job description." Cherri took a second to poke at Angel's belly, giggling at the kick she received before returning her attention to Angel. "Plus, you gotta admit, you signed up for this the moment you and Al smashed."

"But it felt goooooood!" Angel whined, placing the back of his top left hand onto his forehead. "And I would do it again in a heartbeat!"

Cherri snickered, sitting up and pulling Angel up with her. "Come on, let's go out and find some trouble."

"Charlie and Vaggie will kill me."

"And Al is gonna fuck you. Your point is?"

"Fair enough." The smile that appeared on Angel's face after Cherri cheered loudly was bright enough to light up the entire room; drawing the attention of a previously asleep Everest. Loud shouting from the baby was followed by Cherri drawing Everest out of his crib, making silly faces as she waited for Angel to find their favorite homemade baby carrier. Once it was found, Cherri wasted no time in putting it on, tightening it appropriately before placing Everest in the carrier.

"Alright! You ready, Everest? You ready to go with your mommy and godfather Cherri Bomb to cause some havoc?" Cherri asked, taking a stance of triumph when Everest cheered and wiggled around in excitement. "Then let's go! Through the window!"

"NO!"

"Through the front door!"

Careful and quiet steps followed the duo through the hotel lobby, soon joined by mischievous giggling as they got closer to the doors. Of course, due to their luck, they were stopped when Husk cleared his throat rather loudly. Slowly, Angel and Cherri turned to face Husk with well practiced smiles, hands behind their backs and eyes fluttering innocently.

"Where are you two going?" Husk asked bluntly, knowing exactly what he was going to hear. "You both know how dangerous it is for Hellborns out there."

"Oh c'mon Husk! He's got _us!"_ Cherri chimed, leaning against Angel casually. When Husk raised a brow and glanced at Angel's stomach, Cherri cleared her throat. "Okay, _they_ have _me_."

"Ah, yes, that makes me feel _so much better_." Husk set down his bottle of beer and strolled over to his friends, crossing his arms and glaring at him with every ounce of authority that he gained in his army days. It didn't take long for Cherri and Angel to- almost unnoticeably -shrink, giving Husk enough room to continue. "Listen, I understand that you're getting frustrated and want to go out, but I could never let you just go out and get hurt without saying something."

"Need I remind you that my family has eyes everywhere? Any demon that tries to jump me will be bathed in bullet holes before they could even say anything." Angel waved a hand dismissively, using the rest of them to try and make himself look more put together than he actually was. "Besides, who would try to hurt me? I'm married to the _Radio Demon!_ Anyone dumb enough to try to touch me without my consent is double dead where they stand."

"Yeah! We'll be fine, Husk!" Cherri assured, punching Husker's arm lightly. Everest copied the action, smiling his almost constant smile all the while. Husk sighed lowly, ears falling back as he mulled over the multiple ways this could go wrong. Unfortunately, Angel and Cherri had good points; they would be protected anywhere they went, and didn't technically need to stay cooped up in the hotel. The only thing that they really needed to worry about was-

"SON OF A... Billy Jean..." Angel hissed, dancing around and forcing a small smile onto his face. "Sorry about that! I just... I'm ready to go!"

"Right... just, give me the baby!" Unsurprisingly, Cherri did as told, a show that she was just as interested in the baby's safety as Husker was. After a long pause, Husk gave a briefly concerned frown before rubbing the back of his neck. "I know I'm gonna regret this, but... go. Try to be back before Al, though!"

"Don't worry, you grumpy old cat! We'll be back before you can count to 200!"

* * *

"Hey, how long does it take Husk to count to 200?"

"WHAT?! I'M IN LABOR, WE'RE BEING CHASED BY PENTIOUS, AND **_THAT'S_** WHAT YOU DECIDE TO ASK ME?!"

Cherri flinched at Angel's tone, slapping a hand over his mouth and looking around to try and see how close Sir Pentious was. Thankfully, the snake was still searching around the area that Cherri had thrown a smoke bomb. A muffled scream of pain was enough to draw Cherri's attention back to Angel, and she nervously removed her hand from Angel's mouth. Tears streamed down both demons' faces, though for completely different reasons. Angel's tears were caused by the pain of his labor, and Cherri's tears were caused by her uncertainty of what to do.

"Okay, just... try to breathe as steadily as possible. Remember that breathing technique that Husk showed you?" Cherri nearly wilted at the strained nod she received, offering to breath with Angel if it made him feel better. Angel, of course, begged her to do so, taking hold of Cherri's arm and squeezing with so much force that both demons heard her bones beginning to crack. Before Angel could apologize, Cherri assured him that all was well. "Alright, let's just breathe. Hee-hee-hoo, hee-hee-hoo, hee-hee-hoooo! How do you not pass out?"

 _" **CHERRI!**_ _"_

"You're right! You're right! I'm sorry!"

"There you are! You annoying thorns in my- WHAT IN THE GODDAMN HELL IS _THAT?!"_ Sir Pentious turned his head in a flash, his hood pulling up to act as a shield for his eyes.

"It's his cunt! What else would it be?!" Cherri crudely replied, torn between beating the snot out of Pentious or making sure Angel made it through this birth without any complications. The latter decision won when Angel let out a scream so loud that it drew the attention of every demon within a five mile radius.

Including every mafia spider in the area.

Loud hissing filled the air, announcing the arrival of a pack of man sized spiders, all of whom were quick to surround Pentious with teeth bared and claws unsheathed. A tense silence briefly filled the air, and things stayed that way until Angel screamed once more, driving the spiders to jump Pentious without warning. The sounds of hissing and screeching from both sides drowned out Angel's smaller screams of pain, allowing Cherri to talk to him as calmly as possible, diverting his attention from the fight that was right next to them.

"Oh my! That looks like a fuzzy bowling ball popping out of a coin purse!"

"It certainly does! How strange!"

Angel and Cherri glared at the two Egg Bois that dared to speak so plainly about the baby, leading the creatures to scuttle away. With one quick glance to see the progress of the baby, Cherri nearly hurled, forcing herself to keep watch and make sure that nothing dangerous happened. For what felt like ten hours, when it was really only two, Angel was forced to suffer through the familiar pain he'd experienced with Everest.

"Holy shit! Baby number one is almost here! Just keep pushin', Angie!" Cherri announced, using her sleeve to wipe away some sweat from Angel's face. Five minutes later, the small child finally made its way out completely, wailing loudly until it was placed onto Angel's chest. "She's a girl! And now for the second one!"

No words came from Angel, as he was too tired and his throat hurt too much for him to make a sound, though he couldn't keep from sobbing throughout the second delivery. By the time the second baby was delivered, Angel was unable to keep his eyes open, deciding instead to use his fur to tell him all he needed to know about the twins. Girls, both of them; identical, stubborn, and competitive, if the way they both fought for the same nipple had anything to say about it. Cherri found herself to be exhausted as well, lying down next to Angel and smiling up at him.

"Y'know, it's amazing that nothing bad happened; a miracle, really! I'm not even a midwife! Imagine what could have happened if-"

"Shut up." Angel's voice was shot, and it hurt to speak, but the order was loud enough for Cherri to hear. Out of respect, the boisterous demoness slammed her mouth shut, turning her head to see that the fighting had finally stopped. Instead of the violence that once occurred, every demon present gathered around Angel, taking turns to eagerly greet the twins.

"Alright, alright! Don't overwhelm the mommy! He's tired enough as is!" Cherri huffed, standing up and shooing the spiders- and Sir Pentious, surprisingly -away. "Go on, tell your boss and Ari that the twins are here or some shit."

The spiders nodded, disappearing silently, leaving no one but Angel, Cherri, Sir Pentious, and the Egg Bois. It was at this moment when Cherri took the time to chase Pentious off, threatening that she would do everything in her power to double kill him if he even _thought_ about hurting her best friend and his family. Once Pentious was deemed gone, Cherri returned to Angel and sat back down, taking notice of the lack of umbilical cords that she _swore_ were supposed to be present.

"I'm a spider, babe. We don't have 'em." Angel whispered, seemingly reading Cherri's mind. "We should probably get home now. Go ahead and get yelled at for being gone for so long."

"Yeah... this ain't gonna be pretty."

"It'd be stupid of you to expect it to be."

* * *

"Where are they?! They were supposed to be back by now!"

Charlie and Vaggie watched anxiously as Husk paced behind the bar, his ears flat against his head and his fur standing on end. After reaching 150, Husk knew that something had gone wrong, and had taken it upon himself to bring Charlie into the situation, who then brought it upon _herself_ to bring _Vaggie_ into the mix. When Husk then reached 190, all three of them started to freak out, trying to contact both Cherri and Angel as often as possible. It didn't help that Everest kept crying, his Eldritch powers going haywire and causing mayhem everywhere around the hotel.

"Husk, calm down. I'm sure that, wherever they are, Cherri and Angel are perfectly-"

"WE DIDN'T THINK IT WOULD HAPPEN THIS SOON, WE _SWEAR!"_ Cherri's scream drew everyone's attention to the front doors, where Cherri stood in the middle of the entryway, arms out wide and defensively. "Look, before you get upset and start yelling at us, you need to know that-"

"THE TWINS ARE HERE!"

"Yeah... _that_." Cherri muttered, moving out of Charlie's way as she raced towards Angel. A tired smile graced Angel's face, and he allowed Charlie to perform a brief- and somewhat aggressive -lookover. Once all was deemed okay, Charlie led Angel into the hotel, setting him down onto the couch and paying no mind to the other demons who crowded around them.

"They're so little!" Niffty gasped, hopping onto the couch right next to Angel. Both fawns turned their heads to look at the tiny cyclops, taking a few seconds to look her over before turning their attention to Everest. With curious hums, the twins tilted their heads, their ears perking when Everest did the same. "At least they like Everest."

"That's reassuring." Cherri remarked, leaning over the back of the couch and thinking for a second before her eye widened. "Hey, you never did say what the babies are named."

"Yeyo and Beans." Angel replied, not at all surprised by the silence he was met with. "Fine, how about Kaine and Stacy, and their _nicknames_ can be Yeyo and Beans?"

"You're naming them after _drugs_ either way!" Vaggie facepalmed, not knowing whether she should be amused or pissed by Angel's decisions.

"It is a family tradition, Vagatha! Let me carry on our legacy!" After saying this, Angel found his fur standing on end as the doors opened once more. A look at everyone else was enough to let Angel know what was going on, and he refused to turn back and watch as his husband calmly walked over to the group. When the footsteps stopped, Angel looked up at Charlie. "How close is he?"

"Close enough." Alastor whispered, greatly amused by Angel's scream of terror. "So, Kaine and Stacy, hmm?"

"Or Yeyo and Beans." Cherri reminded, grunting when she was backhanded by Husk. "What? He's the father! He deserves to know his choices."

Ignoring Cherri's words, Alastor leaned over the back of the couch, pulling Angel into a sweet kiss before nuzzling against the spider and looking down at their newborns. At the sight of innocent intimacy, Charlie and Vaggie urged the others away, waiting for a few minutes before Charlie cleared her throat. Unperturbed by the interruption, Angel and Alastor looked up at the princess.

"Okay you two, look; we understand that you love being parents, and we love that you're taking your roles of mother and father seriously, but..." Charlie trailed off, looking to Vaggie as if silently requesting her to finish the statement. Taking the hint, Vaggie did so.

"You two are put on sex restriction for the next two months."

"WHAT?! That isn't fair!" Angel fought the urge to stand up, reminded by his body that he was in great pain. "You can't just cut us off from-"

"It's that, or Alastor uses a condom every time you decide to fool around." Vaggie interrupted Angel without second thought, crossing her arms to show that she was being serious. Angel whined in response, looking at Alastor sadly.

"They're being mean to us." Angel jutted out his lip in a pout, hoping desperately that Alastor would do something to keep the order from being set in stone. Instead of saying anything, Alastor's permanent smile turned into a mischievous smirk, and he leaned forward to whisper something in Angel's ear. Judging by the way Angel's face turned a bright red, Charlie and Vaggie knew that the two were planning on doing anything they could to break the rule.

"Y'know what? Fine. Vaggie, I'm giving you permission to neuter Alastor." Charlie's face showed no sign of a joke as she conjured a pair of scissors out of thin air, handing them to Vaggie and watching as the demoness chased Alastor around with glee. Charlie then looked down at Angel, whose face conveyed clear shock. "Believe me when I say this: If you get pregnant again within the next two months, you're banned from sex for the rest of your life."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Rest In Pickles, Cherri's arm. May it get fixed at some point after all this chaos fades away.


	4. Time Out

"Al? Al~ I know you hear me~"

Yes, he could. Alastor could hear every word that came out of his husband's mouth, and it took everything in the Radio Demon to keep from pinning Angel down and breaking the one simple rule that Charlie had set for them. This was only day three of their restriction, and it was proving more and more difficult for them as every second passed. With a great bout of reluctance, Charlie had stated that it would be best if the two slept in separate rooms for the entire two months. The idea was simple, really; both parents would take turns watching over the fawns at night, but being offered the liberty to be together during the day. It seemed like a good idea at first, until Husk decided to throw a bit of logic into the mix.

"The moment those two months are over, Angel and Al are gonna be in each other's pants for Lucifer knows how long. We'd be lucky if we managed to see them for a few hours every day." Husk had muttered, not looking at any of his friends as they mulled over the statement.

"No we wouldn't!" Angel had scoffed in response, hugging Kaine and Stacy close whilst Alastor held Everest in his arms. "As if Al and I would force you to look after our babies for that long while we spend hours upon hours in bed... making glorious love... ever so slowly touching every part of each others' bodies as we remind ourselves of the territory that used to be ours- oh _A_ _lastor!_ Take me _now!"_

Obviously the couple had been separated before anything serious had happened, but that didn't mean they went unpunished for their behaviour. Everest and Alastor stayed at the hotel, leaving Angel and the twins to go stay at Henroin's house until later that night. The moment that the couple reunited, they kissed each other as if they were starving men searching for food. The fawns were squished in between them, but didn't seem to care, sensing the happiness that radiated off their parents and cheering in response.

"You're lucky that they don't understand what we were actually doing." Alastor huffed, running his hands through Angel's chest fluff. The spider demon sighed blissfully in response, drawing Alastor up farther so that they could kiss as long as their lungs would allow. Once the kiss ended, Angel nipped at Alastor's neck, hugging the deer demon close and whining at the low growl he received. "You know how much trouble we'll be in if we continue doing this."

"I love you." Angel whispered, giving Alastor pause. "I know we don't say it often, but I feel like now's a better time if any to tell ya. Don't want ya feelin' like all I want ya for is sex."

"A thought process that I appreciate greatly." Alastor cherished the giggles that his words summoned, ears swiveling both forward and backward to catch the sound of his husband's glee and their children's slowly growing happiness. "Shh, mon cher~ You'll wake the babies~"

"Yeah, we probably don't want that, do we?" Angel teased, licking Alastor's cheek and smirking at the dark blush that appeared on the deer demon's face. "Kinda bashful, isn't he mama?"

"Well maybe he wouldn't be if you said hello~"

"Hello, Alastor."

"Hello, Angel."

"I love you, Alastor."

"I love you too, Angel."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Betcha didn't expect _that _ending, didja?__


	5. Gosh Darn It

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, guess what...
> 
> Jumping Spider females can store their partners' sperm for up to a year. :)

"Cherri... I made a mistake, Cherri. I made a real bad mistake and now I'm never gonna be able make love to my husband ever again!"

Confused murmurs came from Cherri Bomb as she attempted to comfort her sobbing friend, unsure of why he'd starting crying in the first place. The best friends had been doing nothing more than talking to each other- something Angel had requested beforehand -when the spider demon suddenly broke down and started babbling apology after apology to his best friend. It hadn't helped that Cherri was holding Everest at the moment, having taken hold of the fawn out of fear that he would be dropped during Angel's fit.

"Angie, what are you talking about? What mistake did you make?" Cherri asked, she and Everest placing a hand of their own onto Angel's cheek. "What did you do, babe?"

"I'm... I'm..." Angel stopped himself from continuing, unable to gather his thoughts for quite some time. When this time passed, however, Angel dropped the third biggest bombshell that Cherri had ever heard. "I'm _pregnant! **Again!** "_

"How the fuck...?" Cherri whispered, looking down at Everest who returned the same look. Putting that notion into a mental file for a later date, Cherri returned her attention to Angel. "Wait, I thought you two have been-"

"We _HAVE BEEN!_ But this stupid spider body has turned me into some sort of... of... I don't even know!" Angel leaned against Cherri, drawing both her and Everest as close as possible. "And the fact that only _Alastor_ is the one capable of making me pregnant is even scarier! Jumping Spiders can birth between two and 36 Spiderlings _at one time_ , Cherri! I already have three, and two of them are _twins!_ You saw how difficult it was for me to give birth to Kaine and Stacy! Who knows if I'll even be capable of carrying more than _five?!_ I can't do this, Cherri! I just _can't!"_

"YES YOU CAN!" Cherri used her free hand to slap Angel out of his fit. Slow and steady breaths were shared between the two before Cherri continued. "Angel Dust, you are my best friend and I am your best friend, and as your best friend I am obligated to tell you that you are a strong and beautiful demon! You've been through literal Hell and back to get to where you are today, and while I can't possibly imagine the fear you're experiencing right now, I am _still_ going to try my best to help you get over that fear! I will be with you every step of the way, and whatever decision you and Alastor make will be supported by me tenfold!"

"Goddamn it, Cherri. What did I do to get a friend like you?" Angel asked through a new batch of tears.

"You asked God for an angel, remember? Then I fell out of the sky and we immediately became best friends."

"That was probably one of the best days of my life." Angel took a moment to think about his words. "Okay, besides my wedding. And Everest's birth. And the twins' birth. Whatever, it's up there!"

Cherri smiled, pulling Angel into a side hug and leading him back to the hotel. This was going to be a challenge to explain to everyone, but, knowing how supportive the Hazbin family was of Everest, Cherri had a feeling that this was going to be a pretty good experience.

* * *

Okay, remember when Cherri felt like this was going to be a pretty good experience? Yeah? Well, God said "Fuck no!" to that notion. As soon as Angel and Cherri had arrived to the hotel, Vaggie was arguing with Husk, Charlie was trying to break up the fight, Niffty was scolding the twins for slobbering all over each other, and Alastor... was nowhere to be found. A low whimper came from Angel, and it took everything in both himself and Cherri to keep him from racing out of the hotel and living at his father's house for the rest of his afterlife.

"They're gonna kill me. They're gonna kill me. They're gonna kill me." This was Angel's mantra all throughout the travel from the front door and the hotel lobby, where he and Cherri stopped and waited in silence. 45 minutes passed before the shouting and anger died out, followed by everyone turning their attention to their unusually silent friends.

"Go on, I'm right behind ya." Cherri assured, lightly nudging Angel forward. "Wanna hold Everest? Let him be your little support fawn?"

"I'd like that, yes." Angel whispered, eagerly retrieving his son from Cherri. With a deep breath, Angel cleared his throat, smiling as Everest did the same. "Guys... I'm... well, I-"

"Mama! Mama baby! Mama baby! Again! Again!" Everest yelled, clapping his main hands and patting his belly with his second set. "Again! Again! Mama baby!"

With wide eyes, Charlie looked between Angel and Cherri, searching desperately for any sign of a joke. None was found, sending Charlie into a fit of confusion and slight disappointment. Angel and Alastor had been doing so well! They truly had been trying their hardest, and all of that had been thrown out like last week's garbage! That didn't make any sense! Why would they-

"Hey! Maybe you should listen to Angel's side of the story before blaming him for stuff he didn't do, princess!" Cherri shouted, standing in front of Angel defensively. Charlie blushed lightly in response, coughing lightly before gesturing for Angel to explain.

"Jumping Spider females are capable of storing their partners' sperm for up to a year. That way, we don't always have to worry about mating when the time comes for us to produce offspring. Guess this stupid body isn't an exception, considerin' how I'm gonna be a walkin', talkin' balloon for the third time this year." At the sight of Charlie moving to apologize, Angel threw a hand into the air, sighing before continuing. "It's fine, hon. I get that you're just tryin' ta do what's best for me."

"Does Al know?" Husk asked, his voice low and steady. Angel shook his head in denial, focusing his attention solely on Everest. No one said anything else in a moment of tension, leaving enough time for Kaine to crawl over to Angel and tug on his tights. A smile crept its way onto Angel's face, and he sat down to draw Kaine into a hug. Everest grumbled softly, pushing Kaine back and hissing when the action was reciprocated.

"Hey, be nice." Cherri scolded playfully, moving to pick up Stacy and snickering when the baby started to cry out. "Wow, you are the spitting image of neither of your parents."

Brief laughter rang through the lobby, cutting through a bit of the tension. For a brief moment, all was well, and, even as Angel's phone played out Alastor's telltale ringtone, the happy moment stayed. The conversation held well for a good minute or so, but was soon paused when Angel gave a tear filled giggle.

"Hey babe? Do you want more kids?" Angel asked, bracing himself for the worst.

"Do I want more kids?" Alastor repeated the question as if he were stunned that it was even a question that needed to be asked. "Of _course_ I want more kids! Why do you ask?"

"Because we're having more, sweetheart." Once again, Angel braced himself for the worst. He expected Alastor to started yelling out questions a mile a minute, perhaps about how Angel could possibly be pregnant when the two hadn't been in bed together for quite some time. And, once again, Alastor responded in a way that shocked his husband greatly.

Loud cheers and laughter rang through the phone, drawing relieved laughter from Angel. This was one of the moments that Angel cherished, being granted blessings that he never thought possible in a place like Hell. He had been rewarded with so much, as of late, and he wouldn't have it any other way. A loving husband, a family that looked after and cared for him despite his faults, and friends willing to do anything for him whenever he needed it. These were the blessings that any demon would kill for, and Angel was more than glad that he was the one who got them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So... should I show some mercy and make this a one child pregnancy, or try out a triplet/quadruplet pregnancy?
> 
> OR, should I go for a spooky angsty option and make y'all cry for no reason other than my own entertainment?


	6. Promises He Shouldn't Have Made

"And you're sure you can handle the three of them while I'm gone?"

"Angel, darling, love of my life; these are babies we are talking about! No need to speak of them like monsters! Besides, I am the Radio Demon! There is nothing I can't do! Go on and enjoy your family dinner."

"Okay, if you say so."

"Trust me, I have everything under control."

* * *

"Why the fuck did I say that?" Alastor's ears swiveled back in response to Kaine's screaming, followed immediately by the sound of Everest being knocked over by Stacy and crying at the top of his lungs. Of all the things Alastor could have said, he _would_ let his pride take over and make a promise he couldn't keep. This was one of his weaknesses, he supposed, wanting desperately to make sure his husband believed in him. "And to think, years ago I would _never_ do such a thing."

"Mommy?" Everest whimpered, tugging at the bottoms of Alastor's pants. "Where mommy?"

"Oh, Everest. Your mother is at a dinner with his father." Alastor explained the best he could, knowing that, while Everest was incredibly intelligent at his age, the baby was... well... a _baby_. "But it's alright! Now you three can all bond with your daddy! Me!"

The babies stared at Alastor silently, eyes completely void of any emotion. The smile that stayed on Everest's face seemed to slightly shrink, and he turned to look at his sisters, who glanced between themselves and their father. These reactions made Alastor wilt, and he let out an annoyed huff, deciding that it was time for him to try to get through to his children in a way that worked for him.

"Alright, fine! You know what? If that is how you are going to treat me, then I will treat you all the same! Until you learn to respect me, I shall remain silent and uncaring!"

"They're babies, you idiot. Being silent and uncaring is what they do when they're upset." Husker's sudden comment forced an embarrassingly loud bleat out of the Radio Demon, and the old cat snickered at the reaction. It always amused Husk when his boss, the well known bringer of chaos, was spooked by something trivial, and it seemed as if his own fawns felt the same. That is, if their happy giggling and attempts at recreating their father's reaction had anything to say about it. "See? Do something that they enjoy and they won't act like you on a bad day."

"I hardly see how this is fair! You aren't even related to them, yet they seem to enjoy _your_ company more than mine!" Alastor took a second to mull over his own words before letting out a scream of terror. "LISTEN TO ME! I sound like a fawn! Complaining about how my own children do not like me!"

"You are so fucking stupid." Husk leaned down to pick up the twins and cradled them gently. Almost immediately, Kaine and Stacy started to cuddle closer to their godfather, cooing and giggling softly.

"BETRAYAL!" Alastor screamed, nearly dropping Everest during his millisecond of a fit. "Why do my own children despise me?!"

"Gee, I dunno; have you ever tried _bonding with them?"_ Husk drew his brows together in frustration, both incredibly confused and completely appalled by how Alastor was reacting to the situation. "It's important for babies to get to know their family members early on, that way they know who and who not to easily accept as people worth trusting."

"When would I possibly be able to bond with them? I work and hunt for a majority of the day, and on the days I _do_ have off, I have to make sure that the hotel is up to par! Of course, I try to make sure that I can pop in and check in on the fawns every now and then, but only for brief moments."

"With or without Angel?"

"Pardon?"

"When you "check in on them," do you spend time alone with them, or is Angel Dust with them?"

"Why, Angel is with them! It makes things easier for me because it ensures that there is a parent with them to keep them company! It would simply be terrible parenting to leave the fawns by themselves for such long... periods of... oh."

"Uh-huh." Husk took the brief moment of realization to place the twins in Alastor's arms, making sure they were in a tight and safe hold. Once all was deemed acceptable, Husk smiled at the fawns with a warmth that Alastor hadn't seen in some time. "Now, go sit down and let them listen to your heartbeat."

"I don't remember giving you the position to give me or-"

"JUST DO IT!"

"FINE!" Alastor stormed over to the lobby's couch, sitting down and leaning against the back of the couch. For the first few minutes, Alastor found himself trying desperately to keep himself from becoming too uncomfortable to hold his own children. In a feat of what could only be considered God given pity, however, Everest decided to finally close his eyes and fall asleep. At the sight of their older brother trusting the lanky buck holding them, the twins decided that they found themselves comfortable enough to fall asleep as well. "Oh my goodness... Husker! Look! They-"

"Yeah, I have eyes, Al! Now shut up! You're gonna wake 'em up!" Husk whisper-shouted, facepalming and shaking his head. Alastor slammed his mouth shut, looking down at his fawns and feeling a sense of glee rising in his chest. "Okay, you seem to be good, so I'm gonna go back to the bar."

No response came from the Radio Demon, so Husk shrugged and left. The rest of the day was spent like this, with Alastor holding the fawns close, wondering how he'd gone so long without trying to cherish moments like these, and everyone else coming to check in on them every now and then. All was perfect. Until Vaggie decided to speak.

"Have you fed them yet?" she inquired, holding back a snicker when Alastor froze and threw his ears flat against his head. "Oof, shucks for you."

"Maybe he won't notice?" Alastor asked in a high pitched voice, his smile wobbly and filled with an uncharacteristic fear. "Perhaps he will be too caught up in the aftermath of the dinner that he won't ask!"

That comment made Vaggie burst into laughter, and she walked away from Alastor with her arms around her stomach, eager to tell the others about this. Small whimpers came from the fawns, soon turning into full on wailing as their stomachs growled.

"No! Please don't do this to me! We just bonded! Your mother will kill me again if he finds out that I-"

"That you what?" The telltale clicks of Angel's heels announced the spider's arrival, and when he finally came face-to-face with Alastor, it was quite clear that the dinner had gone just as badly as the couple expected. If not worse. "Alastor. What. Did. You. Do?"

Shit. Alastor was _so_ going to lose his antlers today...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alastor's Resume: I am the Radio Demon! Capable of destroying lesser demons and entire buildings with the blink of an eye! ~~There is nothing I can't do!~~
> 
> Update: I can't take care of my own children :/


	7. Family Ties

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a chapter dedicated to the dinner mentioned in the previous chapter.
> 
> Also: I haven't been keeping tabs on everything, so I don't really know the spider family last name. That being said, I've seen the name "Ragno" thrown around, so that's what I'm going to use until told otherwise.

He knew he shouldn't have come here, he just _knew it_. From the moment he received that goddamned envelope with the all too familiar spider symbol on it, up to the point where he realized that it was just _him_ who had been invited, Angel Dust _knew_ that it was a bad idea to allow himself to be driven to his father's home in the family limo that reeked of gunpowder and alcohol. Normally these two smells would be calming to Angel, providing a sense that he was protected, that he was safe, but now? Oh, now he felt as if he was taking himself and his unborn children to their ultimate demise.

The spider that helped Angel out of the limo said not a word as they walked to Henroin's overly flashy home, only serving to make Angel's unease worsen. Angel's heart pounded in his chest, his fur stood on end, and every ounce of blood he had started to boil. Those symptoms of worry drove thoughts into Angel's head that he hadn't experienced in years. The way his stomach twisted and churned made things take another turn, and neither spider was given any warning as Angel folded over and emptied his stomach of all contents he'd eaten that morning. Tears ran down Angel's face, his vision blurring, and his ears ringing, making him almost completely unable to recognize the familiar and comforting touches of his siblings.

Words were shared between the trio, but Angel couldn't for the afterlife of him remember or care about what had been said. All he could really take notice of at the moment was the cold rag that was laid across his forehead, and the gentle kneading of practiced hands along his stomach and his shoulders. Whoever was closest to him gave the instruction to take deep breaths, so he did so, squeezing his eyes shut for a brief second. There was no way to tell how much time had passed, but by the time Angel had gotten himself together, he was able to take in his surroundings and be met with the sight of his siblings.

"Are you okay, Tony?" Molly asked, her face contorted in clear concern. Angel nodded, moving an arm to rub his head, but being stopped by his twin almost immediately. "Ya shouldn't move yet. Ari says your body'll be out o' commission for a bit."

"Well, ain't that great?" Angel scoffed, his voice scratchy and pained.

"At least we didn't decide to shoot ya." Arackniss muttered, refusing to look his baby brother in the eye - er, _eyes_ , to be exact. Despite the seemingly cold gesture, Angel caught his older brother casting worried glances towards him every other minute or so. No one could find anything else to say until Molly smiled sadly, placing a hand on Angel's stomach and sighing lightly. Arackniss hissed at the gesture, narrowing his eyes before yelling out and grabbing a nearby vase, not caring about the consequences that he would face as he used every bit of force he had to throw the vase across the room. "DAMN THAT STUPID RADIO DEMON TO HELL!"

"Arackniss! What has gotten into-"

"NO! I don't want to hear it, Molls! That Overlord is the reason why our brother is forced to go through this pain and suffering! All that talk about how much he loves Tony, about how he would do anything to make sure Tony is safe and happy, and the way he shows that love is by doing _this?!_ You both know just as well as I do that this ain't what Tony's body was built for! The more kids he has will only make this worse!"

"Niss, I get that you're upset, but now isn't really the time to-"

" _UPSET?!_ I'm _more than upset!_ I swear, the next time I see that buck, I'm gonna-"

"WILL YOU LET ME SPEAK?!" Molly's unusually loud question shut Arackniss up immediately, but did nothing to stop the festering anger he was feeling. "Look, we're all stressed and tired at the moment, and none of us really want to let this go, but do you _truthfully_ think that yelling and blaming Alastor is the best way to solve things?"

"Who cares if it's the best way to solve things?! At least it's _easier!"_ Arackniss looked at Angel suddenly, realizing how much he was upsetting his brother and huffing. In less than a heartbeat, Arackniss appeared next to Angel, lifting Angel's chin so that the two were making eye contact. "Tony... Angel Dust... you know that I'm not mad at you, right?"

Angel nodded, sniffling and using his shoulder to wipe a few tears away.

"Good, 'cause I'm about to make what I feel like is the worst decision of my entire life. Which is sayin' somethin', really. You know how our family is." Arackniss smiled a rare smile when he earned a small snicker from his brother. "A'ight. Here goes... if this truly is something you want, havin' these kids, bein' with that son-of-a-bitch Overlord, bein' in that hotel... then I won't try to stop you. You're my brotha, and I'm willin' to do anything to make ya happy."

"Whoa now, are we sure this is actually Niss we're talkin' to? Quick, Angel! Smack 'im!" Molly shouted, giving a non-apologetic smile when Arackniss sneered at her. "But in all seriousness, ya have my support too, Tony."

"Thanks, guys. Ya have no idea how much this means to me." Angel leaned forward and pulled Arackniss into a hug, allowing Molly to pull both of them into another hug. Arackniss hissed and cursed his siblings out in both English and Italian, kicking at the ground in an attempt to gain enough leverage to push himself up and away from the hug. "Okay, I think I'm gettin' like Ari. These kids aren't even as big as the twins and they're already tryin' my stomach."

Molly let Angel and Arackniss go, straightening her top and reminding both her brothers and herself that they still had a dinner to attend. A low groan came from Angel, following the trio into the dining room, where Henroin was waiting, sat in the largest chair at the dinner table. Nothing was said to acknowledge Angel's antics, but Henroin did wait for said antics to stop before speaking.

"Anthony, how... nice to see you again." Henroin spoke softly, tapping his giant claws against the wooden table. "I hear that the Spiderlings are doing well."

"Hold on, that reminds me," Molly stood in between her father and twin brother before continuing, "Alastor always refers to the kids as "fawns," but our spider instincts tell us to call them "Spiderlings," so... what are they?"

"Spider fawns." Arackniss whispered, eyes narrowed and glare sturdy. "A damnable combination."

"Seriously, are we sure this is Arackniss?" Molly asked, pointing her thumb at her aforementioned older brother. No one answered the joking question, leaving nothing more to talk about than what Henroin had originally planned.

"Listen, Tony; these kids are of Italian Mafia decent, and are part of our culture through that decent. I tell you this because, despite them having Overlord origins, they are still Ragno children through and through. As such, it is part of their duty as Ragno descendants to learn everything about our heritage." Henroin threw a hand in the air, stopping Angel from the rant that was bound to happen. "I know for a fact that you are not a fan of this, but think of it as a rite of passage. You know as well as I do how serious we take these things. Even if _I_ was against it, there would be no way for me to stop it."

"Fine, let's assume that I'm okay with my own children being assigned roles in the mafia without their consent, there's still one thing that we haven't gone over." Angel took hold of a chair, pulling it out aggressively and sitting down without any sort of decency. "As you've mentioned, they have Overlord origins, which means that there's a chance that they wouldn't make good mafia members to begin with. How do you think it would look for the head of the Ragno family to be unable to control the hitmen he decided to force into work without them having been brought up by their father, who, if you haven't gathered for whatever reason, is the only one capable of helping them control their powers?"

"Tony, shut up." Arackniss whispered, sensing that this wouldn't end well if Angel kept acting the way he was. "You're gonna put yourself in a lotta danger if ya keep spewin' this shit."

"I gotta 'gree with Niss on this one, Tony." Molly kept her eyes on Henroin, who was slowly starting to lose what little cool he had. "There's only so much Niss and I can do to keep pops from hurtin' ya."

Taking the warnings to heart, Angel scoffed, crossing both sets of arms and leaning against the back of his chair. This was enough of a sign for Henroin to continue on, so he did.

"It don't take a genius to realize that you're stressed, so I'll grant you a bit o' mercy this go 'round. Go back to the hotel, get some sleep, talk to your Marito about this. If ya can, try to get me an answer by the end o' the week." Henroin paused, looking as if he were about to say something else, but waving his hand dismissively in place of it. Now wasn't the time for niceties, he decided.

_He could tell his son he loved him some other day_.

"C'mon Tony. Let's get you back to the hotel." Molly sighed, she and Arackniss following Angel out of Henroin's home. The trio walked back to the hotel together, only occasionally saying random things to keep each other entertained. By the time they reached the hotel, Angel's mood had lightened significantly, but some part of him- his maternal side -told him that something wrong had happened with Alastor. "You can sense it too, huh?"

"At least he'll get _something_ he deserves tonight." Arackniss grumbled, wishing Angel a good night before leaving. Molly followed soon after, taking with her the last bit of happiness Angel had left that night. With a heavy sigh, Angel opened the front door, just in time to hear his husband say-

"Your mother will kill me again if he finds out that I-"

"That you what?" Angel's heels clicked against the floor, announcing how close he slowly got to Alastor. At the sight of Everest and the twins crying, every bit of anger that had been dimmed down during the walk with his siblings immediately returned. "Alastor. What. Did. You. Do?"

Stupid stutters came out of Alastor's mouth, and he averted his gaze as he failed to come up with a reasonable excuse. A sudden annoyance replaced Angel's anger, and he grabbed Kaine, drawing her close and inspecting her intensely. It didn't take long for Angel to realize what was wrong, and his annoyance grew as he removed his shirt.

"How you managed to butcher being able to tell me they were hungry will always go over my head." Angel sighed, collecting Stacy and Everest and pulling them against his body. Soon enough, all three fawns were nursing, leaving Angel and Alastor to awkwardly stay in each other's presence.

"I'm sorry." Alastor whispered after some time, fiddling with his claws and acting like the skittish deer he truly was. "I didn't intend to make them upset. I was merely trying to bond with them! When you left, none of them wanted anything to do with me, and I thought that it would be best if I acted the way they did! And then Husk came over and made me realize how terrible of a father I am and-"

Alastor was cut off by the sudden kiss that was pressed against his lips, calming his nerves almost immediately. When the kiss ended, Alastor's small smile slowly shrunk into a frown. The buck was disappointed with himself, Angel knew, but was also embarrassed. Being so vulnerable, acting like this, like a lesser demon with _feelings_ and _fears_ and _emotions_ , it was all so out of character for him, and that upset him greatly. Who was Alastor if he wasn't causing constant unease in other demons? Who was Alastor if he wasn't constantly smiling, even in the most horrid of situations? Who was Alastor if _he_ was the one who wanted to _cry_ and who _feared_ disappointing Angel and being disappointed in _himself?_

This wasn't Alastor. This strange creature that _frowned_ all because of a mistake that anyone could have made. Alastor, it seemed, didn't really exist anymore, did he? The _real_ Alastor would _never_ do this. Would _never_ allow such things to get to him. Would _never_ let his doubts known. Would _never_ even _have_ doubts!

"Hey, don't do this to yourself, Al." Angel's soothing voice drew Alastor out of his haze, and the thumb that wiped a few tears off his cheek was chased for fear that the touch was something he had only dreamed. Touch. That's what he needed right now.

"Yes." Alastor whispered, tugging at Angel's hand desperately. "Please... touch me. If only for a little bit?"

And Angel did. Touched, kissed, tugged, and submitted to every whim that Alastor chose to have. It had been bound to happen for some time now, and there was no doubt that Charlie would find out soon. For now, though, all the couple could do was rest, cuddled against one another as their fawns slept in a small side room created just for them. Soft breaths came from both males, and peace made its way through the entire hotel that night.

Though for Angel, it was broken when he forced himself to keep from crying because of the undying pain in his stomach, followed by the dread that settled in his heart immediately after...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hell to the heccin' yeah! I have so much angst planned for these bitches that it ain't even funny! Y'all want heartbreak? No? Too bad! All of us! You get heartbreak! They get heartbreak! We all get heartbreak!
> 
> Prepare your butts, because things are gonna get rough, and REAL SOON!


	8. All Good Things (Part 1)

This didn’t make sense. Why was he feeling like this? He had never experienced a pain like this before, and it could easily be shown by how Angel leant over his toilet, violently vomiting for the third time that day. The sound itself was loud enough to be heard from downstairs, causing every patron to cringe with each gag. Along with the patrons, Husk and Niffty were left to listen to their friend in silent terror, not knowing if it would be wise to try and soothe him when the possibility of their heads being chopped off was so high.

“I don’t get it!” Niffty whispered, looking up at Husker, her eye wide and full of concern. “Mrs. Angel Dust wasn’t this bad during his last two pregnancies!”

"Makes me think there's something else going on here." Husker's ears flicked every which way, searching for any signs of Alastor. None were found, and that worried the winged cat. "None of this makes sense."

Niffty opened her mouth to speak, preparing to add on her two cents and being cut off by the front doors slamming open. In the middle of the doorway stood a clearly worn out Alastor, his posture showing off how little he seemed to care about his surroundings. The Radio Demon's hoof shaped shoes clicked across the hardwood floor, slow and terribly unlike they usually were.

"Boss? Are you okay?" Niffty asked quietly, following Alastor towards the staircase. When the deer didn't answer, Niffty whimpered. "Boss, I don't think it would be a good idea to go upstairs right now!"

"And why is that, Niffty?" Alastor's voice was tight and full of annoyance, though it was obvious that the annoyance wasn't aimed towards anyone in particular. At least, anyone in the hotel, anyways.

"Oh! Because uh… because you-"

"Because you're super fuckin' tired, idiot! Goin' up that staircase will only end in you lookin' like a kid." Husk scoffed, rolling his eyes as he spoke. It was true that Husker had become completely incapable of being afraid of his boss, especially when Alastor was this tired, but this seemed to be a rare moment when a tiny bit of fear made its way into his voice.

And Alastor sensed it immediately.

"Husker, what is going on?" Alastor's posture straightened in a flash, and his eyes narrowed dangerously. Before Husk could come up with a lie, realization hit Alastor like a brick. "Is this about Angel?"

No response came, sending Alastor into a sudden fit as he all but raced up the staircase. Husk and Niffty followed close behind, keeping a steady pace and stopping just a foot or two away from the couple's room. The door was kicked open, and Alastor disappeared into the room, screeching in what seemed to be genuine terror upon finding his husband leaning over the toilet limply.

"Angel! What happened, my love?! Angel?! Wake up, please!" Alastor lifted Angel into a bridal style hold, racing towards Husk with a mission. "Husker! What's wrong with him?!"

Husk said nothing as he pressed the back of his large paw against Angel's forehead. As the winged cat expected, the spider demon's forehead was drenched in sweat, and his breathing was labored.

"Husker!" Alastor's ears were flat against his head, and his pupils switched in between their regular form and their dial form. "Why is he like this?!"

"I don't know! I can't tell by just looking at him, Al! I'd have to do a full body check up before even  _ considering _ what to diagnose him with!" Husk shouted, slowly becoming just as stressed as his boss. "Just… take him back into the room! I'm gonna need to get my medical supplies and then I'll be back and ready to check him!"

Reluctantly, Alastor did as told, waiting impatiently for all of 10 seconds until Husk returned with a disturbing amount of professional medical supplies. Without a word, Husker made his way towards Angel, doing his best to ignore how his fur stood on end as he got closer and made Alastor's static increase.

"Al, I need you to leave." Husk ordered, not needing to look at his boss to know that the deer demon was about to lose whatever cool he had left. "Alastor, if you stay here then I run the risk of someone getting hurt, and I do  _ not _ feel like being blamed for something that  _ you _ caused!"

Harsh static mixed with low growling as Alastor slowly left the room, not taking his eyes off Husk, even as the door was shut. Beside him stood Niffty, who frowned at the sight of Alastor being so upset. Right now, Niffty could only think of one demon who could truly keep this situation stable.

"Boss, I'm gonna go get princess Charlie." Niffty announced, not waiting for a response before racing away to find the princess. It didn't take long for the small cyclops to find both Charlie and Vaggie, and she quickly explained what had just happened.

If she were being honest, Charlie would say that she had never ran so fast in her life to reach a friend, fearing for Angel's afterlife with every part of her being. Vaggie, despite her typical feelings towards Angel, felt just as terrified; sure, she and Angel fought often, but the moth demoness would  _ never _ wish such an awful fate against Angel.

Upon reaching the room, Charlie, Vaggie, and Niffty screeched to a halt. Silence followed their arrival, and for what felt like hours- which it probably was -they stood in wait for whatever news would befall them. Tension grew between the staff as the seconds passed, and just as Alastor was preparing to kick the door down, Husk exited the room, eyes downcast, ears flat, and body slumped over in what seemed to be great sadness. That wasn't what shocked the staff into silence, however.

What did it was the disturbing amount of blood that covered Husker's paws, arms, and stomach.

"Husk? Why are you…?" Charlie couldn't finish her question, not able to say a word as she was pulled into the room. The door shut behind them, and Charlie sent a look of confusion to her friend. "Husk?"

"In the cradle." was all that Husk said, refusing to look at Charlie for fear that she would catch sight of the tears falling down his cheeks. "Please don't ask me any more questions."

Charlie's heartbeat quickened, her body shook, and she could barely process that her body was moving as the ringing in her ears grew louder and louder. Whatever she was about to see was undoubtedly going to scar not only her, but everyone else in the hotel.

She was right.

What she saw next was enough to draw the loudest scream she'd ever let out, nearly shaking the entire hotel as her true form broke through. From behind her, Husk stood with great reservation, waiting for Charlie to calm down at least a quarter of the way before clearing his throat and pointing his head towards the door. Charlie hissed, knowing what the old cat meant.

How in the world were these two going to explain this to Alastor?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What do y'all think is going on? Hmm?


	9. All Good Things (Part 2)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright heccers, let's get super fuckin' dark.

_Tick. Tick. Tick. Tick._

The sound of a traitorous clock seemed to mock the worry that settled in Alastor's stomach, following his movements as he paced the floor. Hoof shaped boots slammed into the ground with enough force to break through the wood, and left a large indention in the hallway where Alastor had walked through his frustration. As time went on without word from Husk or Charlie, the clock only served to grow louder and louder. By this point, Alastor felt as if he should punish the clock for making fun of him during such a terrible situation. Before he could do so, however, he heard it. The loud scream that Charlie let out, the scream loud enough to shake the building, loud enough to send almost every demon within a 30 mile radius fleeing for their lives, and loud enough to drive Alastor towards the door.

Fury filled Alastor as he slammed his head against his husband's door, antlers having grown out enough to resemble an actual buck's. For a moment, Alastor didn't look or act like the poised, collected gentleman he always was; this creature in Alastor's body was a wild animal that was struggling to get to its injured mate. It was for that reason that Vaggie- despite her better judgement and usually strong sense of self preservation -shot forward and opened the door before Alastor could slam his head against it for the thirteenth time.

A loud screech was let out in response to Charlie's, and he stalked over to Angel, who was unconscious and- though Alastor hated to say it -split open from the top of his stomach to just below his abdomen. The sight in itself caused a war to go on in Alastor's head; on one hand, he knew that this was Angel he was looking at, his lover, his husband, his doe, whatever you chose to call him; on the other hand, Alastor was a cannibal. The former instinct won, thankfully, when the sound of a baby wailing was let out, leading Alastor's ears to swivel towards it. When the deer demon turned to look for the source, his confusion grew when he saw that Husk and Charlie were standing right in front of the sound's origin.

"Why are you standing there? Why won't you show me my child?" Alastor stepped closer, almost stopping in his tracks when Charlie dared to hiss at him. "And why is my husband split apart like an animal?"

Charlie gave no response, looking up at Husk as if asking him to answer. With no choice but to do so, Husk growled before stepping to the side, pulling Charlie with him. Confusion and concern was plastered onto Alastor's face, but he said nothing as he picked up his pace and finally looked over the bars of the crib. What he saw next sent Alastor into the biggest fit of rage he'd ever been in.

Blood pooled around four undergrown babies, bubbling and spreading as if it were water on a flat surface. A purple coloured, gel-like substance held the small creatures together, but only one of them seemed to be trying to escape. Permanent smiles were plastered onto the three dead still newborns, and what looked similar to a pained grimace was on the moving newborn's face, which was clearly trying its damndest to escape its tight prison in search of breathable air. As soon as she realized this, Charlie used one of her unsheathed claws to break the substance apart, sobbing loudly at the sound of the strangled breathing coming from the only newborn that had made it.

"Husk! Why is it breathing like that?!" Charlie's cried out question broke both Husker and Alastor out of their haze, drawing them both towards the grizzly sight. "And why aren't the others..."

Charlie stopped herself immediately, knowing very well the answer to her own question. By this point, all the princess could do was watch Husker gently pick up the baby, looking it over and taking note of everything that needed to be done. It would need to be put in some sort of incubator, no doubt, which would be pretty difficult considering how there weren't any hospitals just placed in the middle of Hell. Next to that, it would need at least one of its parents to be able to spend time with it for a few hours every day to keep it from becoming lonely and unprotected. The downside to the second condition would be... well... both parents seemed to be out of commission for the time being. It would take time for even Everest and the twins to be able to get close to their parents for the first week or so, and they could only be watched by uncles, aunts, godfathers, and godmothers for so long.

"What do we need to do, Husk?" Alastor's question made both Charlie and Husker nearly jump out of their skin, but they still looked back at the Radio Demon with as much calmness as they could muster. "What do _I_ need to do for them? They're _my_ fawns, and Angel is _my_ doe. If I can do anything to help, anything at all, then I am willing to do it."

"Well, we need to get this kid in an incubator as soon as pos-"

"Go instruct Baxter to gather as many supplies as he can to build an incubator and bring him up here." Alastor's shadow nodded, disappearing into the surrounding shadows as quickly as it appeared. "What else?"

"The kid'll need one of youse to stay with it at all times-"

"We'll keep it in here. That way both Angel and I can watch over it." When Husk grumbled under his breath, Alastor's smile dipped into a sneer, and his ears pressed back against his head as a warning. "What else?"

"Everest and the twins," Charlie chimed in, not wanting a fight to break out in a time like this, "we'll get someone to watch them, but... do you think you would be able to look after them at times as well?"

"You have my word." Alastor promised.

"You think you two are gonna be alright? With time, I mean?" Husk asked, no longer able to look at anything but the newborn.

"Only time may tell, Husker. For now, all I wish is for us to take care of the problems at hand." Alastor was silent throughout Husker's procedure to fix Angel, his eyes shifting between Angel, the squirming baby, and the lifeless, constantly smiling newborns.

Yes, only time would tell indeed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It took me way too long to come up with a version of this chapter that I actually liked. >_>
> 
> And yes, Angel is still alive, he just needs to recover. In a LOT of ways.


	10. Recovery (Part 1)

When Angel woke up, he already knew that he wasn't going to be met with a pretty picture. The smell of blood wafted through the air, and Angel's eight eyes shifted every which way to take in everything surrounding him. Medical supplies? Check. Stitches? Check. A small, defenseless hybrid unable to move or breathe without the assistance of a machine? Check.

Wait. _W H A T?_

"Al? Charles? Husk? _Anyone?"_ Angel attempted to sit up, his teeth grinding together as pain shot through his body. Harsh breathing and high pitched whimpers were enough to wake up the rest of the staff, whom had taken it upon themselves to stay the night in Angel's room in case something happened. Niffty, being the first one completely awake, zoomed up to Angel, scolding him for trying to move so suddenly. "Niff, I get that yer tryin' t' help, but ya don't understand what I'm goin' through! How do ya think I feel seeing one of my newborns in a machine, unable to do anythin' without it?! Not t' mention that the baby I see is the only one out o' _four_ that I'm actually able t' see!"

"Mon cher, please do not get so upset. You are only going to stress yourself out." Alastor placed a calming hand onto Angel's cheek, laying down next to the spider demon and giving a small, loving peck to Angel's nose. "We will explain everything later-"

"I don't wanna hear anythin' _later_ , Al! I want you t' tell me _now!_ If you love me, then you'll tell me why I'm seeing what I'm seeing!" Angel pushed himself up despite the pain it caused him, holding Alastor close and unconsciously releasing pained moans into the deer demon's ear. Much to his chagrin, Alastor's tail flew straight up, but he pushed down the sudden inappropriate urge in favor of making sure his mate was given the information he deserved.

"After you passed out, Husker performed an emergency procedure so that we could find out why you were feeling the way you were. When he managed to pull the fawns out, we learned that three of the fawns had... perished... in the womb. Their bodies were beginning to rot, and, if we hadn't taken action when we did, they would have poisoned the last fawn and started to poison you as soon as the rotted carcasses became potent enough." Alastor paused to allow Angel a moment to process his words. A silent and emotionless nod was given, encouraging Alastor to continue. "The final and surviving fawn was too weak to survive on its own, so we had to instruct Baxter to create an incubator in order for it to at least have a higher chance of survival."

Angel said nothing in response, turning his head to look at the aforementioned incubator with a neutral expression. Following Angel's gaze, Alastor huffed quietly, drawing one of Angel's hands up to place a sweet kiss onto the spider's palm. A silent conversation was shared with the rest of the staff, and Charlie opened her mouth to speak.

"Charlotte, please. May Angel and I have a moment to ourselves? I think it would be best if we talked about this family matter alone." Alastor spoke in a near whisper, keeping his eyes locked onto Angel's. Charlie, however, didn't respond, leading Alastor to look up at the others.

"Al, listen, I may not completely understand what you two are going through, but I need you both to understand that you aren't in this alone. Just in case you've forgotten, the rest of us are family too." Charlie took a step forward every other word, keeping her hands up to show that she meant no harm, but allowing her posture to announce that she was ready to defend herself if needed. "We're all in this together, and we're ready to do whatever is needed to help."

Alastor hummed, looking back at Angel with one question on his lips. "What say you, my love?"

"I... don't know." Angel admitted, leaning against Alastor in an attempt to lessen the weight on his arms. "Just... can I see my baby?"

Husk grunted from behind the incubator, already prepared to do exactly as asked. Gentle paws lifted the weak fawn out of the loud machine, and he walked steadily in order to keep from injuring the fawn even more. Loud squealing and labored breathing followed the fawn's movement, and it continued to do so until it was placed upon Angel's chest. Thin, furless skin met silky and luxurious fur, calming the small creature as it looked up at Angel with a curiousness not unlike its brother and sisters.

"Look, I get that it doesn't look like the others, but that shouldn't-"

"They're beautiful." Angel cooed, running a finger along the small fawn's naked back. "Such a small, defenseless thing. But a fighter. They're stronger than anyone will ever give them credit for, and they'll make all of us proud in some way or another... so why can't I bring myself to love them?"

Everyone else went tense, not knowing how to respond to the question that was both expected and unexpected all at once. No one knew how much time had passed before a move was made, and it was made by a teary eyed Niffty, who sat down next to Angel.

"I love them." Niffty chimed, patting the fawn's cheek lightly. "And I bet Charlie and Vaggie and Husk do too! Right guys?"

"Of course we do! All of us!" Charlie agreed, pulling Vaggie and Husk into a tight hug. "And we'll keep on loving it until the end of time!"

"Yeah, if you haven't noticed, we Hazbins don't seem to be fond of leaving family behind." Vaggie added, adding on a small 'Sometimes unfortunately' at the end.

"Not to mention that the kid is practically born into this gross love stuff. They're gonna be smothered in it." Husk placed a hand on Angel's top left shoulder, lightly shaking Angel with a hidden smile.

Even with all of this confirmation, Angel felt himself feeling nothing but a cold... well, he couldn't call it hatred, but it certainly wasn't anything close to love. The only question Angel had about that was _why?_ Why didn't he love this fawn like he loved Everest and the twins? Why didn't he want to bond with this fawn and accept it as part of the Hazbins' growing family? Why didn't he want _Alastor_ to bond with the fawn?

"It is okay, mon amour. These things take time." Alastor assured, instructing Husk to return the fawn to the incubator. Husk obliged, taking the fawn back and keeping his ears aimed towards the couple in order to take in what he needed to know. "We will move as fast as you need us to."

"Thanks, hon." Angel sighed, leaning up to place a kiss on Alastor's lips before lying back down. "Can I just sleep some more?"

"Of course, Angel." Charlie replied, looking at Alastor with a sad smile before returning her attention to Angel. "Is it alright if we stay?"

"Sure. As long as I can sleep for the next two years." Angel joked lightly, shakily pulling Alastor down and smiling into his husband's hair. "Wake me up every now and then to let me love on my babies, though."

"We'll try." Alastor chuckled, watching Angel finally relax. Afterwards, Alastor looked at everyone else, a serious look on his face. "Now listen, I understand how you feel about this situation, but I need you to promise me that you won't try and rush this."

"Oh trust me, I ain't rushin' no one in nothin' anytime soon." Husk huffed, sitting down and leaning against a nearby wall before closing his eyes. "Don't gotta worry about me."

"Same here. Charlie and I have too much respect for you and Angel to force you through that much." Vaggie grabbed two unused pillows from the bed, finding a large blanket and leading Charlie onto the floor, where they settled down next to Husk. Niffty did the same, snuggling between her larger friends.

"You and Angel deserve to be happy! It would be incredibly evil of me to do such a thing!"

Alastor's smile became warm and loving, one that was usually reserved for no one but Angel Dust and their fawns. A calm silence enveloped the group, and Alastor stayed to watch the scene before shuffling out of Angel's hold. Pained and saddened whimpers came from the taller demon at the loss of his husband's warmth, but ended some two minutes later when Alastor returned with their three older fawns. A happy sigh escaped Angel's mouth, and he held the fawns close, keeping them in a tight hold, even as Alastor wrapped them all in a tight hug of his own.

"Sweet dreams, my loves." Alastor whispered, his attention briefly flickering up towards the incubator. "And to you as well, little one."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So... what about that, huh?


	11. Recovery (Part 2)

"Mon amour, it is supper time. Would you like me to bring your food up?"

Angel Dust looked up at Alastor with a nearly inaudible sigh, nodding his head halfheartedly. Alastor's smile dropped at the sight, and he slowly walked towards his husband, getting on one knee and placing one hand on Angel's cheek. Silence was shared between the two before Alastor smirked, lifting a brow as if expecting Angel to say something. When the taller demon only responded with a confused head tilt, Alastor chuckled.

"Remember how I proposed to you?" Alastor asked, his tone playful. "What led me to ask you if you would marry me?

"Oh, I try not to." Angel quipped, turning his head with a tiny smile. "It always gets a bit fuzzy anyways."

"Maybe I could help you then!" Alastor puffed out his chest, moving both hands to grab Angel's middle right hand. "Oh, my dear, dear Angel! I do believe I have come down with some strange disease because of you! Whenever I get close to you, the black hole that is my heart beats harder, I begin to perspire like a human under the summer sun after a vigorous run, I feel as if my life is complete with you being near me!"

"Shit, Al. You sound just as silly and geeky as you did the first time!" Angel blushed heavily, covering his face to his best ability.

"Oh, but my loving husband, you must remember!" Alastor scooted closer to Angel, drawing the spider demon closer. "For the longest of times, I thought that I truly was sick, that I had been plagued by some curse! But as time went on, I realized what was happening to me. My dear Angel Dust, I do believe that I have somehow managed to fall in love with you. So, because of that, I request permission to court you!"

Angel burst into laughter, tears of both joy and pain pouring down his cheeks. At the sight of his husband's absolute elation, Alastor sprang forward, knocking them both onto the bed and nibbling at Angel's neck lightly. Happy squeals came from Angel, and he wrapped all six of his arms around his husband, flipping their positions and placing kisses all over Alastor's face.

"Alastor, you big dummy! I love you so much!" Angel laughed, stopping his kisses to catch his breath. Alastor let out an annoyed bleat, a sound that only Angel, Niffty, and Husk had ever heard. "Oh, listen at ya! Yer just as bad as Everest!"

"I am not! I'm jus' as grown as mah ma was when she gave birth t' me down in Louisiana!" Alastor pulled Angel down, screaming into Angel's chest fluff as if it would hide the sound. "Ya jus' don' wan' t' lemme court ya!"

"I thought you did that already." Angel hummed, squeaking when he felt Alastor's tongue run through his fur. "ALASTOR! DON'T DO THAT!"

The loud squeal was ignored as Alastor continued to lick Angel's chest, his smile wide and nearly predatory. Despite his cries of protest, Angel did nothing to stop Alastor's behaviour, even going as far as flipping their position once again to give Alastor more room to do as he pleased.

"Sha, ya sure ya want this? Cuz I can' promise that I'll go easy on ya this go 'round~" Alastor bit down on Angel's chest, hard enough to draw out a pleased whine, but not hard enough to break skin. "Is that a yes?"

"Yes! Yes, babe!" Angel gasped, wrapping his legs around Alastor's waist and pulling the shorter demon closer. With that much confirmation, Alastor's ministrations slowly built in intensity, showing his quickly growing arousal. "Al... yes... yes... WAIT! _STOP!"_

Alastor did as told, backing away without hesitation and waiting for his husband to calm down. This wasn't something that offended Alastor, as he was all too familiar with how it felt to be in a situation where intercourse wasn't the top priority. In fact, Alastor was proud of his husband for speaking out when he did; both men were prone to giving in to their instincts, leaving them unable to announce when or if they ever needed or wanted to stop. Thankfully, they usually didn't need or want to stop, so moments like this were cherished beyond belief.

"Angel? Wha' did I do, sha?" Alastor slowly shimmied closer to Angel Dust, grabbing Angel's primary hands and waiting patiently for an answer.

"It wasn't you, babe." Angel sniffled, using his shoulder to wipe away a few new tears. "I just... I don't know why I feel like this. I wasn't feeling this sad a few minutes ago, but now I don't feel like doing anything worthwhile! I just want to go to sleep and never wake up! I don't want to have to deal with this anymore, Al! I just _don't!_ I DON'T! I _DON'T!_ _I **DON'T**!"_

Angel let out a scream of pain, wrapping his arms around himself and sobbing fervently. Not knowing what to do, Alastor leaned against Angel's side, tensing slightly when he was suddenly put into a tight hold, but relaxing as he realized that this was something Angel needed. Neither man knew how much time had passed, but when it finally did, they settled down into the sheets, quietly looking into each other's eyes.

"Ti amo, Alastor." Angel whispered, not knowing how to place a face with his current emotions. Much to his delight, however, Alastor took the hint, licking Angel's cheek sweetly.

"Je t'aime aussi, Angel Dust." Alastor replied quietly, not wanting to ruin the moment with a quip. "Get some rest, sweetheart. We can speak more in the morning."

"Thanks Al. You're the best." Angel closed his eyes, nuzzling closer to Alastor and sighing blissfully. "The best husband anyone could ever ask for."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The first draft I had of this got erased. It took two goddamn hours. But now I have this. Fuckin' laptop bein' a dicc.
> 
> *Just as an explanation, the babies are with their aunt and uncle. Mr. Radio Demon the Good Hubby knew that Angel needed some R&R and gave up his reputation to make happ his faaaamlily.


	12. Recovery (Part 3)

"Hey Tony, think you can spare a minute?"

"Depends, what'd ya come here t' bother me for?"

"The gas prices on Earth."

Angel Dust chuckled lightheartedly, sitting up from his position on his comfy bed. Behind him lay his fawns and buck, all of whom were sleeping peacefully without a care in the world. Arackniss gave a small hum at the sight, walking forward and plopping down onto the bed, throwing himself back and leaning against the bedframe. The action itself took Angel by surprise, but he didn't voice that, simply deciding to lean against the headboard as well and look up at the ceiling. For a few minutes, a calm silence lasted between the brothers, but was broken when Arackniss cleared his throat.

"A'ight, spit it out. Whaddya need?" Angel turned his head to look at Arackniss, who sighed heavily, running a primary hand through his hair in an almost worried manner. "Ari?"

"It's about pops." Arackniss admitted quietly, finally turning to look at his younger brother. "He heard about the newest Spiderling and... well... he says that, if you don't want them, then he would be willing to take them in."

"He _WH-_ "

"DON'T- stress yourself out." Arackniss slammed a hand over Angel's mouth, using another hand to point at Alastor and the fawns. Muffled grumbling came from Angel before he shoved his brother's hand away, taking a deep breath and gesturing for Arackniss to continue. "Look, I understand that you don't _want_ to talk about this, but even _I've_ noticed how little you seem to care about the kid. You keep finding reasons to keep from bonding with them, always get upset when someone mentions them, you _refuse_ to make milk for them, and you always make it a point to show more love to Everest and the twins whenever Charlie brings all of your kids in here!"

"Arackniss, if you came in here just to judge my parenting skills-"

"That's the thing, Tony! The way you're treating the new kid isn't a "Parenting Skill"! It's straight up _neglect!_ I mean, let's be real; you haven't even given them a _name!_ We've all been saying "Them" for so long that it may as well be their _actual name!"_ Arackniss sat up straight, his posture showing how passionate he was about this topic. Angel frowned, looking away from Arackniss and willing away a few tears. "And that's another thing! I get that you're going through a rough patch, and I get that you don't want to confront what's right in front of you, but the hard reality of it is that eventually you're going to _have to!_ Refusing to face this at face value isn't just hurting yourself, okay?! We are talking about a living, breathing, emotional being!"

"Are they really able to be considered "living" if they're in Hell though?" Angel avoided the rant as best as he could, even going as far as attempting to wake up Everest, collecting the small fawn and cradling him lovingly. "Weird, ain't it sweetie?"

"Angel..." Arackniss knew he had his brother's attention now, as the shortest of the siblings rarely ever used Angel's alias. "Listen, you're my baby brother, and I love you, but I _cannot_ bring myself to allow you to continue this behavior. If you can't manage to push aside whatever is driving these feelings towards the baby to the side... then I'm going to have to take them to pops. With or without your permission."

An uncomfortable silence rang through the room, and Arackniss started to continue leaving. Noticing this, Angel hissed, setting Everest down and huffing.

"Fine. Take them, then." Angel sighed, waving his top right hand dismissively. "It's not like much'll change."

"Aren't you gonna talk to your buck about this?"

"There's nothing to talk about."

"Okay then, I'll call pops and tell 'im." Arackniss stood up, but stayed next to the bed, looking over his brother with a concerned frown. Something didn't seem right, but the short spider demon couldn't find it in himself to figure out what that something was. "Won't stay away long, a'ight?"

"Go on, Ari. Nothin's gonna happen." Angel gave a small smirk, raising a brow and humming. "Unless ya plan on killin' me and takin' my place."

"Please, I wouldn't dream of it. Too much drama and mushiness." Arackniss shuddered at the thought, remembering yet another aspect that put his fur on end. "And _shit_ , the amount of sex you two have is enough to drive any pimp insane."

Angel burst into laughter, a genuine smile crossing his features for the first time that day. The look itself was enough to make Arackniss give a huff of slight amusement, keeping him in his place just a second longer before leaning forward and hugging his brother. The hug lasted for less than a second, but it conveyed every emotion Arackniss wanted to show. Before Angel could say anything in response, Arackniss sped out of the room, closing the door quietly and leaving his brother to think about their previous conversation.

"He has a point, mon cher."

Angel jumped slightly, nearly breaking his neck as he turned to look at his husband, who was looking up at him with a blank expression. A blush appeared across Angel's face, not even attempting to reach down to his chest fluff. Knowing that this meant the spider was more subconsciously guilty, Alastor sat up and sighed; of course, the Overlord couldn't exactly pinpoint where that guilt came from.

"How... long have you been awake?" Angel asked, avoiding eye contact with Alastor as much as possible. Unfortunately for the arachnid, he couldn't avoid the sad gaze of Alastor's shadow, who followed his eyes every which way.

"I woke up the minute your brother appeared." Alastor admitted, reaching out and twirling a strand of Angel's fur. "It saddens me, really. That we have to resort to this, I mean."

"It ain't like I had a choice. Ari had a point. Just like ya said."

"Yes, and that's exactly what I was referring to. Our fawn's life depended on that one decision." Alastor moved closer, moving the fawns with him. "The fact that you decided to give that fawn a life where they will be loved and looked after shows that you had at least some amount of care for them."

"Hmm. Maybe." Angel sighed, picking Everest up once again, and watching with a smile as Alastor gathered the twins. Both men cuddled closer to each other, sharing a loving kiss before lying back down, staying as close as possible and falling back into a blissful slumber. It wasn't the best moment they'd slept on, but it was a moment nonetheless. Were hearts broken that night? Yes. Were emotions conflicted? Yes. Was there a confusion as to _why_ Henroin offered to take the fawn in? Oh, of course.

But at the moment, Angel couldn't really bring himself to care.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> When you plan on an arc to have a specific number of parts... and then more ideas come along that fit too well in that very arc. Seriously though, this is the last chapter for this "arc", but we are nowhere _near _done with the angst.__
> 
> __Oh, and by the way: When Arackniss makes it a point that the new baby has been called "Them" for so long that it may as well be their name... let's just all agree that "Them" may as well be their name._ _


End file.
